Improvement in marine safes



Tj?. .ROWLAND Marine Safes.

No. 195,954. Patente'd Oct. 9, 1877.

N. PETERS. PHOTULIMDGHAFHEH, wAsmHGToN. D c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS F. ROWLAND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MARINE SAFES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,954, dated October 9, 1877; application filed September 20, 1877.

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. ROWLAND, of the city of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Marine Safes, of which the following is a full, true, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

It is a frequent occurrence, owing to the vicissitudes of travel by sea, that very considable sums of money have been lost to their owners, owing to the sinking of vessels which were carrying them to distant ports; and the object of my invention is to have a money-vessel which will preserve specie or other valuables, even though the ship which carries such money should be sunk.

In order that any vessel should successfully accomplish this result, it is necessary that it possess the two requisites of very great strength and of entire resistance to the action of the waves, since it might be subjected to them for a very long period of time; and I have therefore devised a vessel on which such corrosive action of the water will have no injurious effect, while at the same time it will be sufficiently strong to resist any accidental contact with rocks or other destroying substances, and will, to a certain extent at least, preserve the property so lost to its owners.

My invention consists in making a weldediron vessel with a series of cups or pockets, arranged for the reception of coin or other valuables, and a screw-cap allowing of the removal of such valuables, while it will resist the action of the water.

In my drawing similar letters refer to similar parts.

Figure l is a vertical cross-section of my invention. Fig. 2 is a lateral cross-section of the same through the line .fr a' of Fig. 1.

S represents my marine safe generally,which consists of two hemispheres, H and H. Between these hemispheres is welded a partition, D. In this partition D are set a series of pockets, O and c c c c, &c. These pockets are provided with screw-covers, as is clearly shown in the drawing. The safe itself is closed by a screw-cap, A, in which may be inserted a staff, F, for the purpose of carrying a signal of some sort, so that if such safe be cast overboard it may be a noticeable object to passing vessels.

My safe is made spherical in form for the reason that such shape is best adapted to resist blows or the corrosive action of the waters, since only one joint is needed to complete the entire vessel.

It is obvious, however, that a vessel spherical in shape would not maintain a constant position in the water were there not some arrangement made to maintain its center of gravity constantly on 011e side of the center of the vessel. I llave, therefore, welded in the partition D, (shown in the drawings,) into which the pockets are set. The result of the placing of these pockets below the partition D is that, the center of gravity of the entire sphere bein g somewhere within the large pocket O, the sphere itself maintains an unvarying position in the water, and the entrance-cap A is maintained above the level of the water, together with the stati' F. The partition also serves to make a water-tight compartment in the vessel, so that, even if the water could enter through the cap A, the lower part of the vessel being water-tight, such vessel would not sink, and its contents might still be preserved.

The entire vessel is made without any riveting, and its edges are welded together, as is clearly shown in the drawing, the partition l) being welded between the flanges of the hemispheres H and H.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A spherical Water-tight safe, constructed substantially as described, having its center of gravity permanently located on one side ot' the center of the sphere, for the purpose ot' maintaining such sphere in an unvarying position when iioating, whereby the entrance to the vessel is elevated above the surface of the water, substantially as described.

2. The combination of two hemispherical vessels, H and H', and the partition l), supporting a pocket, O, when the said hemispherical vessels are welded upon said central partition, substantially as described..

3. The combination ot` two hemispherical vessels, H and H', central welded partition 1), pocket O, and screw-cap A, substantially as described.

THOS. F. ROWLAND.

Witnesses GEO. H. EVANS, E. N. DICKERsoN, Jr. 

